Computer-aided development of a high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of hydroxyanthraquinone derivatives in Chinese herb medicine rhubarb

With computer simulation predicting separation in reversed-phase gradient e lution, a method to separate and determine five hydroxyanthraquinone deriva tives having a wide range of polarity in extract of Chinese herbal medicine rhubarb has been developed. The software DryLab was used to model the rete ntion behavior of the compounds as a function of gradient conditions, based on data from two scouting gradient runs. Under the optimized conditions, i .e. column, Zorbax RX-C-18, 5 Gem, 15x0.46 cm; solvent A, 36 mM triethylami ne phosphate (TEAP), pH=2.5; solvent B, ACN; gradient, 36/36/80/80% B at 0/ 5.5/20.5/25.5 min; flow-rate, 1.00 ml/min; temperature, ambient, the method was successfully applied to monitor the quality of rhubarb from different sources. The effect of sample preparation procedures on extraction efficien cy was also examined. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.